BOATING ON A BUDGET

[Teadaemon]

LOL I designed it and commisioned Selway to draw it up.

Its a great boat but left on the drawing board for now not cheap to build either!!

 

Just out of interest, how did the price compare with a 23 foot narrowboat in steel, and what sort of materials were you planning to use (marine ply and quality lumber, or exterior ply and the best 2x4s you can find at the local timber merchant)?

[Guest]

I really like this camper boat. It was moord by us recently. Seems the guy built it himself about 8 years ago, and would traileasily I think, possibly on a sailing dinghy trailer. Lovely proper boat

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2007 by Guest

[AMModels]

I really like this camper boat. It was moord by us recently. Seems the guy built it himself about 8 years ago, and would traileasily I think, possibly on a sailing dinghy trailer. Lovely proper boat

 

Whats the boat in the background CW? and is it as sunken as it appears?

[Adam]

Whats the boat in the background CW? and is it as sunken as it appears?

 

It looks like the water level has rose the boat has floated nearer the side of the canal then the water level has dropped it has "Sat" on the ledge.

 

I saw this happen to a bw workboat

[Captain Haddock]

So ive been wondering what kind of boat would be ideal for people who just want to camp on the water and pay a temporary license and take the boat home when its time to go?

Something you can have a portapotti on use a little camping stove ect.

 

Hi Anthony.

I'm with you on this one. My needs though being different than yours. I love muckin about on both canals & rivers especially the upper Thames. But its a bit of a slog gettin the narrowboat there & back in a 3 week period, just to spend a couple of days on it.

(I work 3wks on - 3wks off). My ideal is to spend 3wks on canals, then the next time home 3 wks on rivers.

I've been searchin for a while for that sumfin special thats an easy tow & launch to any allowable lake or river in the country.

Unfortunately I missed out on this little bute on evil bay. I was out the country when it was goin thru, & followin the golden rule I stuck to not buyin without viewin. I wish now I took the chance & bidded.

It didn't reach its reserve, I keep checkin to see if its back in.

 

Back to you're original question.

This would be ideal for me "To Camp on the Water". I'm not a mid..... err vertically challenged. soon get use to the lack of height. Better than gettin in & out of a similar size camping tent.

Better than a soggy tent that you can't stand up in anyway. and still have the boating comforts & pleasures.

 

Its a 15 foot Marina

 

 

 

Ive got more pics in my gallery, the aft deck compliments the interior.

 

Nice init. You wouldn't need a big a car to tow it either.

 

Good huntin.

Edited May 31, 2007 by Captain Haddock

[Guest]

Whats the boat in the background CW? and is it as sunken as it appears?

No it is a low freeboard model. It seemingly was the back end of a working boat (joey?) which was sliced horizontally, the "layers" forming a low freeboard back-to-back bow and stern, with some bits added. That is what the owner told me.

[anthony]

Just out of interest, how did the price compare with a 23 foot narrowboat in steel, and what sort of materials were you planning to use (marine ply and quality lumber, or exterior ply and the best 2x4s you can find at the local timber merchant)?

Hi the cost for the timber would be £2500.

If using exterior ply then an epoxy and fiberglass cloth externally was recommended (although some would disagree).

Quality marine ply would be very good,but some lower end marine ply is no better than best exterior ply.

It wouldnt be a really expensive boat and it would be cheaper than steel and have a rather nice look too.

Its built over frames not a stitch and tape jobby.

Selway did an excellent job on the drawings and is always on the end of a phone if problems arise.

 

Ive stated to build a canadian canoe 16 footer using ply with the stitch and tape method.

However im going to square the back and try and make a cabin for it.

Once im happy with it ill separate top and bottom and try to make a mold.

Ill take a couple of pics later and post them up.

Cheers.

[Teadaemon]

Hi the cost for the timber would be £2500.

If using exterior ply then an epoxy and fiberglass cloth externally was recommended (although some would disagree).

Quality marine ply would be very good,but some lower end marine ply is no better than best exterior ply.

It wouldnt be a really expensive boat and it would be cheaper than steel and have a rather nice look too.

Its built over frames not a stitch and tape jobby.

Selway did an excellent job on the drawings and is always on the end of a phone if problems arise.

 

Ive stated to build a canadian canoe 16 footer using ply with the stitch and tape method.

However im going to square the back and try and make a cabin for it.

Once im happy with it ill separate top and bottom and try to make a mold.

Ill take a couple of pics later and post them up.

Cheers.

 

Thanks for the info. I must admit I've been toying with a few ideas for a very similar boat and was heading towards stitch and glue construction with a couple of layers of glass and epoxy. I figure that a new narrowboat of around 20-25 foot LOA is likely to cost about the same to build and fit out as it would to buy an old Springer of about the same size. The advantages of the new build being a) it's brand new and fitted out to your specifications a boat of that size built from sheathed ply in that manner should be significantly stronger than one built from steel c) It won't rust. The only real disadvantage is the time and effort required to build it.

[carlt]

If using exterior ply then an epoxy and fiberglass cloth externally was recommended (although some would disagree).

 

Its built over frames not a stitch and tape jobby.

On the contrary (I assume you're referring to comments I've made). Sheathing plywood with grp is a perfectly acceptable method of constructing a new boat. Some of the finest boats have been built using this method.

 

I was referring to the practice of sheathing an old boat, with rot spores already introduced into the timbers. This will invariably accellerate the rotting process, and make subsequent repairs difficult, if not impossible.

[Teadaemon]

On the contrary (I assume you're referring to comments I've made). Sheathing plywood with grp is a perfectly acceptable method of constructing a new boat. Some of the finest boats have been built using this method.

 

I was referring to the practice of sheathing an old boat, with rot spores already introduced into the timbers. This will invariably accellerate the rotting process, and make subsequent repairs difficult, if not impossible.

 

He could also be referring to some fairly big names in the amateur-built plywood boat world (Jim Michalak and Harold Payson spring to mind) who have designed or built a great many plywood boats with unsheathed exterior plywood and 2x4, coated with 'house paint', and had them last for quite a surprising period of time considering the economy of their construction.

 

Personally If I'm going to spend the time and trouble to build a plywood boat I'd sheath it, but there's lots of people out there who prefer building boats to using them, so having to chop the old one up for firewood (or renovate it) after 10-15 years isn't normally a big problem for them.

[RobinR]

I recollect standing up in my Dawncraft Dandy in the early 80's. I also recollect seeing one being used in "Caravan Mode" on a 4-close coupled- wheeld trailer being towed by a fairly basic land rover. Don't know what folk on caravan sites may think?

[anthony]

im not refering to anyone really just diferent things ive read.

i myself have questioned sheathing in depth some are for it some against.

An old springer is not a good move (something else ive researched)

A couple of boat welders to me in no uncertain terms they are a pain to weld because of the shape.

I know where there is one now for 2k 23ft that needs doing up but i wouldnt touch it.

I would think a decent ply over frames then seathed boat will take a good six months to build.

Worth it though.

[Adam]

Generally how thick is a grp boat?

[fuzzyduck]

Generally how thick is a grp boat?

 

mine is about an inch, but it's a pre suez boat

[Teadaemon]

Generally how thick is a grp boat?

 

That depends on how old it is and whether it's pure GRP or if it's got a core of something else. The early Denys Rayner designed Westerly yachts (Westerly 22, 25, Nomad and Windrush) were some of the first GRP boats built in the UK and in places their hull is more than two inches of solid GRP layup. This is vastly thicker than it needs to be for sailing, but does make for a very, very, strong hull. Boats with a less Brunelian design might have an average hull thickness of half an inch to an inch, depending on how big they are, where they're intended to go, and the exact nature of the layup. The thickness of cored hulls obviously depends on the thickness of the core.

Edited June 2, 2007 by Teadaemon

[GRPCruiserman]

Generally how thick is a grp boat?

 

My Norman 20 was about 1/4 inch thick, but my Yeoman was so thin you could bend it by pushing, but that made it very fast with a 20hp engine,and very easy to tow and launch/recover etc, unlike the Norman which although offering slightly more outside accomodation, actually had a smaller toilet cupboard and less storage inside than the Yeoman 16 did!!

 

The Norman was a fantastic sea boat, handled the Trent superbly on a VERY rough day (4/5foot waves) betting the aedrenaline going, worked best with the 20hp engine, not so good on rivers with the smaller engines I had on it.

 

The Dawncraft 25 was also very thin for it's size, a lot thinner than the Norman, but it got blown around a lot in the wind unlike the Norman. The Yeoman was a pig to handle at slow speed when empty in 'fast' mode, but once you'd loaded it up for the fortnight's holiday, it was low enough in the water to be very controllable.

 

I still have a Suzumar inflatable which is grea and easily transported, whilst being very seaworthy (3 miles out of Salcombe before we turned round, amazing how far you get when you're doing 20mph) and yet fine for lakes and The Ribble where it's a bit more sheltered. Wouldn't like to take it through locks though, be scared of ripping the rubber, and no toilet facilities.

 

I also have a Glen-L Squirt (on my picture on the left) which as it lives outside and has a very thin plywood covering to make it incredibally fast needs regular replacement of the plywood. ( www.glen-l.com ). Mine has been built as a four seater, though so is slightly longer than those shown on their site and is more practical. I took it on The Ribble once with a 4hp engine and it planed, doing about 12 mph. Loads of fun.

 

The two boats I have now are pay as you go, ie they live at home and cost about £30 a year to insure, no licence or BSC requirement, just day licences where needed, but due to BW's recent actions I avoid their canals like the plague. (mooring auctions and cost increases).

 

The plywood and paint I need to renovate my Glen-L are going to cost about £50, so that's on hold as I haven't got £50 at the moment, but when I do I also need a trailer and it's back in action.

 

Many slipways are free (although BW keep shutting them and have started charging for many that were previously free), and The Lake District gets cheaper each year as the Windermere Speed Limit has made the lake pretty dead for boats so it's now good if yu're on a budget. The licence for Windermere has been reduced to £5 per year now, and on Loch Lomond, the licence is free, but that's a bit far for us to go. Loch Lomond also has free slipways here and there too, but you pay to launch at Windermere, I think about £10 which I feel is a bit steep.

 

The sea is also free, and you can launch free on to the Ribble at Lytham, and The Lune at Thornton Cleveleys and Knott End, and in to Morecambe Bay at Morecambe and other spots, so you only need to pay for petrol.

 

Going back to canals, The Bridgewater Canal around Manchester has a licence fee about half that of BW and is a lovely canal in itself for the most part, and allows some use of adjacent BW canals.

 

I also know of some boatyards where no licence is required, but you can't really go so far then!!

[Christine]

Having spent a rather jolly evening by the side of the River Arun yesterday, we were inspired by a chap drifting past in what looked like a rescued GRP shell with a Millets 1 man tent on the back and the bows chopped down so he could 'paddle' along with 1/2 a scaffold plank.

 

In my search for a tenting /boat possiblity I came across this cheap little number: Camping River Boat

 

Its a bit big at 7ft x 15ft tho'.

Edited June 3, 2007 by Christine

[Adam]

How do you steer it? Would the canopy not obscure your vision?

[Teadaemon]

How do you steer it? Would the canopy not obscure your vision?

 

I'm not certain but I think when you're under way the canopy is stowed and you sit on what becomes the roof.